A vase of hydrangeas sits among a crop of the latest releases, including What Writers Read and Blake Morrison’s Two Sisters. There is a cosy rug and a bright window display. It looks like a lovely bookshop. What there aren’t, however, are any customers. “Winter is killing us, it’s soo quiet,” tweeted Sapphire Bates, the co-owner of Book Bodega in Ramsgate, Kent, on Saturday afternoon. “We need to make £800 by Tuesday to pay our bills.”
Her tweet has since been viewed 6m times and retweeted nearly 12,000 times. She has had messages of support from Ian Rankin, Sue Perkins and the historian and podcaster Tom Holland. Although she is reportedly still doing the sums, Bates thinks the support that has flooded in will cover the bills.
